Bella's Choice
by lmslovesbooks
Summary: On the night that changed everything, Bella had a choice. She chose. But what if she chose differently?
1. Chapter 1

The pleasure I had felt slipped off my face and dripped to the floor. Just minutes before I had known the happiness that could guide my path to what I really wanted. But not this. This was not what I wanted.

"Isabella Marie Swan, would you make me the happiest force of being on this Earth and be my wife?" Edward dropped down to one knee. I couldn't move. This was not happening. It was all too much; I didn't want Edward that way, not right now. I wanted to dive into bed with him and never submerge. I did not want my father to walk me down the aisle at 18, or even 19. This wouldn't be my choice. I looked deep into Edwards's eyes. How the glistened, changing color in the night. They almost swerved me into saying yes. Almost.

"Please Bella. I need you, I want you too. I just want to do it right." He pleaded with me, his hands forming a prayer position. I cringed, no wanting to hurt him. He opened his mouth to try one last time to persuade me.

"Bella it was always us. It always will be us and my family. Is that not what you have been begging for over the last two years?" Edward looked confused, as if he was expecting something other than an instantaneous yes. It was true, yes, but the way worded the sentences made it seem that he and his family would always be right there. I love Edward, and his family, but I needed my space too.

_Edward has always overstepped his boundaries_, I thought to myself. What being married to him makes him stop, his family stop? No. They would probably just continue watching, guarding me because then I would be a newborn. A newborn always need watching, being made sure that she won't attack humans. But I was a grown woman, I don't need to be controlled or watched. I had made my decision.

"No Edward, I will not marry you." His eyes opened, pain flooded through hurting me too. He shook like a werewolf trying not to lose control. Like Jacob. Jacob had always been there for me, helping, repairing, and loving me through everything. Only a true love would help me through what Edward did to me. Jacob wouldn't have left like Edward did and claimed that he didn't have a better option. Edward did have a choice then. He knew I would hurt, but he left anyway. Jacob has always stayed by my side

"Jacob," I whispered, Edward's eyes opened, he knew why then. He knew that when he hurt me, he didn't stitch the wound. Jacob did. Edward just the tore the stitches again when he came back.

"I have to go. I'm sorry Edward." I muttered while I raced for the door. Edward didn't move, just shook, and knew he had just seen the last of me. I jumped into my truck and drove. Drove at 3:00 AM. Drove to a little cottage by the ocean. When I was done driving I ran. Ran where I knew it would matter what I would say to him. Ran straight into him.

"Bella! Did the leaches let you go?" Jacob laughed, lifting my spirit. I laughed too, only my laugh what hysterical with tears and snot.

"Baby what's wrong?" He whispered and clutched me to his warm body. I sniffed and prepared myself to the turning point that resembled a cliff.

"Jacob I...I..." I laughed again and wiped the tears off my face. "I love you. It was always you. Edward isn't all what I thought of him. He doesn't get me like you-" He cut me off and lifted me into his arms. He then proceeded to kiss me. He kissed me until I forgot who Edward was, what vampires were after me, what my name was. I wanted him now. I wanted him to be the man Charlie walked me to at the isle. He was the one.

"Bella," He broke the kiss off "Bella, honey I love you too. I' so glad you finally ditched that-" Now it was my turn to cut him off. Only I did because I didn't want to remember him right then. This was our moment.

"Bella, we have to go, it's time." He whispered into my ear, breathing his warm breath.

"Go where?"

"Victoria. She's coming." I responded by doing the only thing natural. I pushed Jacob into his car and kissed him. I hoped I would for all eternity. This was the forever I wanted now.


	2. Chapter 2

We arrived at the battle field 30 minutes later. The Cullens stood in the field, looking angry and confused. It broke my heart.

Jacob and I got out of the car hand in hand; ready to face the family of vampires. I ran my fingers through the tangled mess of my hair. Alice knew and recognized this move. It was my sign of guilt.

"Bella what did you do?" Alice whispered to me. "Look at Edward, this is what you did. Tell him it was a mistake and we can all move on." I looked at Edward, preparing myself for the damage I had created less than two hours ago. His face was blank, only showing a sight glimmer of pain when he saw me staring. He looked at me, his eyes, oh his beautiful eyes, looked dead.

"Bella…," Edward weakly said. I winced; this was not what I wanted to see. I wanted to see the strong man I used to love. Not this. Not the defeated _boy_. I grasped Jacob's hand even tighter, afraid of what Edward was going to do.

"Don't be afraid, Bella. He won't hurt you; he still loves you too much to do that." Jacobs's words were meant to reassure me but, all they did was frightening me. Edward was going to want to hurt me at some point. I had hurt Edward so bad he would want his pain to be my pain. He used to be so selfless, I had changed him. I had changed his existence.

I considered going back on what I said, doing what Alive said. But I was firm. I needed to stay where I was.

"Should we get started?" I meekly said, wanting to finish this conflict with Victoria. The hopeful look on Esme and Alice's faces vanished while a happy one came on Rosalie's. Truth be told, I hadn't even thought of what she had said the day before, it didn't do anything to change my mind, so Edward then couldn't hurt her.

Jasper nodded in response to my question, all business as usual. He didn't care that I chose Jacob. Maybe we could stay friends. Jasper began to direct the recently arrived pack around. Sam nodded at me, knowing that I was a full-fledged wolf-girl. While Sam took this maturely, the rest of the pack laughed and joked with Jacob.

"Hey Jake, no funny business on that mountain today," Quil laughed, moving his to shape a body. Jacob snorted and punched him in the arm. Hard. Edward winced.

"Please stay safe Bella. Edward has the camping supplies, and he and Jacob will protect you until tomorrow morning. Seth will take over for Jacob tomorrow at precisely 8:00 AM. And err Bella," Carlisle said awkwardly, "please know that you will always be welcome and protected by this family. No matter what path you take." I nodded, but it would be easier to leave this family if they hated me.

Jacob's hand rested on my back.

"Ready to go?" He questioned gently. He knew this could be the last time I saw some the people I loved. Mute, I just nodded. Quiet as a mouse, Alice snuck up behind me.

"I am no Carlisle, Bella. I thought you loved him, loved him enough to stay with him. Loved him enough to stay away from that dog." Alice gestured to Jacob. "I can now see that you and I will never be friends again. Stay away from my family after today." Alice finished her speech with a flick of a finger, one that made it very clear to abide by her terms. She then ran away. I fell, hard to the ground my eyes foggy with tears.

"It's over," I muttered to myself. It really was.

"But it's our beginning." Jacob finished into my ear while picking me up. I smiled at the thought of my new forever with Jacob. If he survived this battle. If not I would lose everything this weekend. Everything.


	3. Chapter 3

We started the climb.

"Jump on my back we'll leave…uhh get to the campsite faster." Jacob stammered, barely saving himself from world of pain from me. I knew exactly what he was going to say, and I would not have let it just slide by.

I nodded anyway; I was ready to leave the meadow. After hopping onto his warm back, he began to run. I marveled at his strength, he kept a steady pace all the way to the top of the mountain. We arrived to the center of what we were running from.

"I set up camp," Edward began "Jacob can you check the perimeter, I want to talk to-"he winced "Bella."

I felt my mouth go dry, considering my options. If I said yes he could hurt me, but if I said no I was avoiding the inedible. Jacob growled as if he knew what was running through my head like thousands of trains in one small station. A station with one entry way, but two trains.

"Yeah," I whispered. Jacob snarled now, his body shaking with anger.

"No Bella, I can tell what he is going to do. It won't end well. Please stay safe Bella. I'll talk to him." Jacob persisted, pouting like a boy instead of the man he was. I shook my head to Jacob, and stepped out to Edward.

His smile appeared, scaring me instead of reassuring me. I shivered from both the fear and cold that surrounded me like a blanket of ice. We walked to the edge of the mountain-a narrow edge I noticed. He positioned himself in front of the mountain side, where the ice covered the thickest.

"Bella I wanted to ask you something."

I laughed, as if it wasn't obvious.

"You want to know why," I said "why I left." He nodded softly.

"It's not that easy to answer Edward, I just wasn't ready when you were I guess. " I stumbled around, looking for a short way off this conversation.

"Bella, I would have waited, as long as needed." Edward reasoned back at me, pushing me for the real reason. In all honesty I didn't know why. Maybe I saw my life going somewhere I didn't want to with Edward, maybe I wasn't ready to change, to be changed.

"Edward, it's not the fear commitment, I was as ready as I ever would be. It's that I saw a light. It showed me the choice I had all along. The choice that didn't leave, make me wait, hurt me as much. The choice that loved me enough to not just let me go, easy. The choice that has would have fought forever for." I blurted out. The weight of the night before seemed to lift, allowing the sun to break through the clouds. Only the moon and the stars didn't just rise away. They flew and landed on something that couldn't support it. Edward crumbled.

"I knew, I should have listened to her," Edward muttered from the ground, moist dirt covered his shimmering skin.

"What are you talking about Edward?" I questioned him, my hands closing into worried, protective fists. I stepped back to have Edward's hands pull me down from my ankles. I fell, hard to the ground.

"Jacob! Jacob!" I called anxiously. Jacob didn't come. Edward's strong, venom coated teeth came closer.

"Victoria came to me last week. She met another vampire with Alice's talents. Said that she was told that you were going to leave me. Told me she would end it for me, take way my pain and more. All I had to do was give you up." Edward hissed, his teeth coming even closer. "I saw that she wasn't lying, but that was only one road that could happen out of dozens more. I took my chances with you Bella. Trusted you with my heart. But it wasn't enough. You left anyway."

I tried to crawl away, but Edward's strong, pale hands held me tight.

"Pain's still here Bella. Victoria would take it away. All I have to do," Edward fished out an ice-blue whistle from his pocket, "is blow this. Now I could kill you myself Bella, or I can blow this."

"You're bluffing."

"Try me." A cocky smile appeared on Edward's face. The hope I had disappeared.

"I know you can never kill me yourself." I tried, hoping that the old Edward would come out to play.

"That may be true Bella. Nice guess. But I won't stand in the way of Victoria. She promised me an end of you. Since I can't get that myself," Edward blew his cold breath onto my neck, numbing it instantly. "Victoria can do it for me."

I closed my eyes in fear, worry. Edward raised the whistle up to his lips. The lips I had dreamed of kissing for all eternity. Now I wish they would blow off.

"Jacob!" I tried one last time. No Jacob.

"Nice try Bella, nice try."

Edward blew the whistle.


End file.
